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City Three
Moscow has always been one of the cultural heartbeats of Earth. It most likely still is so, despite it being under Universal Union occupation. Despite the fact that the Second World War practically near-enough eliminated most of the 20-30 year old male population, which is something the country in today’s standards was still suffering from, the Russian people are, sadly to say, nearly a severed nationality. On the time the Universal Union had invaded, the Soviet Union had already dissolved and the Russian Federation had risen its flag, bringing down the once tyrannical Soviet Union to be nothing more than a thing of the past. Strangely though, in comparison from both the Soviet and Universal Union’s governing bodies, it is likely that the nation might have also received fair treatment after the war due to the country’s past history, but this is majorly debatable. Much of the country was practically overwhelmed due to the instances of the far eastern part of Russia having very poor infrastructure, whilst most of the population lives in the western side of the country. Despite this, Xenian incursions made matters worse as much of the country fell apart due to alien infestation which attempted to terraform the planet. Any form of territorial grounds xenoformed by the infamous alien hive minds had befallen to a foreign plague, that being Earth's ecosystem. Xenian influence is widespread, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see even in closer limits of a Combine controlled Russian-city. Sterilisation methods are far more extreme, consumerism is endorsed to the point where collectivist ideologies are endured and much of a pre-existing military is heavily conscripted. However, City Three is very much responsible for much of the continent's food and rationing production. In terms of using foreign wildlife that’s integrated with Earth’s ecosystem successfully, there is still a heavy unbalance. Foods here are grown in biological vats that allow for mass-production, but most easily rot within days and are not generally healthy. Weather conditions will be brutal, with snow storms occurring daily due to the effects of the air-exchange. The planet turned hostile towards oxygen being replaced with sulphur through failed experimental weather control patterns reacting to the effects, causing high ends of hazardous uninhabitable zones throughout parts of the country, which may spread to neighbouring regions. At this time, City Three is covered in a city-wide dome, protecting the rest of the city remnants and its population from such instances, and has been established sometime since the end of the Seven Hour War. Other Russian cities focus on the creation of other miscellaneous consumer goods and mass-production of easily affordable weapons for Union authorities, especially winter clothing. Smuggling is extremely common here, but so is the threat of Combine retaliation. A current “revolution” is still in play by the populace, as there are numerous political factions warring against each other and the Universal Union for control of neighbouring territories that is up for grabs. Civil Protection is more militarised here and have recruited vast numbers, but is instructed to keep socio-stability at a peacekeeping level to avoid unnecessary destruction. The utilization of mechanised units and synthetic forces is also very apparent in this urbanised-dome landscape. Most cultural landmarks still stand tall, however few are remotely devastated by the constructs of war and decay. Many of the remaining structures have been either altered, or are left under a permanent state of construction to lead onlookers into a false sense of security. One day, they just might see their bright monuments without the eyesore of scaffolding and abandoned construction equipment laying dormant. The wealthy and the poor are heavily diverse, where loyalists would be kept within the far inner edges of the dome’s mighty structure, whilst the poor live on the edge, subjected to further hostile wildlife and non-habitable environments… in which case only the strongest survive, here. Union loyalists often gain their foothold in near-endless work cycles. City Three, whilst a large portion of the outer-city limits are submerged in snow and ice due to the hectic weather patterns, it is rumoured that there is life detected on the outside of the dome's structure. Some of those rumours, however, aren't entirely set on the greatest of hope and thought. Somewhere, lies an evil buried under the snow, a torment where individuals are never seen or heard of again. Whether this is the Combine's doing, or something related to foreign alien entities, is entirely uncertain. The rumours often arise from that of the very smuggled citizens of the dome transported across the harsh and terrible climate. Many perish on the way to a better life in another city... for many state that City Three is the place where "those go to die". Many post-war crime syndicates operate around City Three, as multiple armouries depict hidden caches of weapons, including potential access to highly-sought black market additions such as armoured vehicles, tanks and even heavy ordnance. However, to obtain such claims in this arctic hellscape, most would often go forth in deadly dealings with the devil itself: The Universal Union. As various rebellious groups deal in heavy back-door negotiations, they are often left exempt from the Union's hand as the political opponents wipe each other out, showing minimal interest in unification against their true opponent, behind the comforts of the erected mega-structure holding dearly onto the post Russian capital. Within the very depths of Moscow, is not a Citadel, but a fortress completely re-hauled from the old Red Fort: The Kremlin. Here, the height of the Union's greatest collaborators hide themselves in seclusion to humankind, and seduction to the Combine's desires. Connected with the rest of the city and holding considerable power over its remaining populace, the Kremlin is seemingly no longer what it once was, but a makeshift fortification of a once proud standing structure, where the first, and final Russian president flew from a helicopter in order to escape the dreadful Seven Hour Conflict. He did not survive. It is even speculated that the "rebellious" groups are often sponsors of various political parties, driven mad with desire to overthrow one-another on the outskirts of the city in order to capture resources, or potential assets of war. The rest of city, however, lays in total ruins. The question remains, for the determining future of the city: Which side is everyone truly on?